The Rancher & Her Cowboy
by Amadi the Storyteller
Summary: "It was quite a sight, Chelsea bemused. The sailor returned, red-faced as he stared at the man who paddled in the ocean. It was about ten minutes later when the crew managed to pull the cowboy back to the ship." .Chelsea-x-Vaughn.
1. ONE: Sea

_**"The Rancher & Her Cowboy"**_

_**ONE: Sea**_

_Fiction by: Amadi the Storyteller_

She gripped her hands against the railing, lips quirking up into a smile as she leaned into the breeze. It was cool against her skin, hot with sweat of the current Summer month. The sharp scent of salt was prominent in the air.

Chelsea relished the odd sensation of the rocking ship below her feet. It was like a rocking chair, dipping back and forth in rhythm. Lifting one of her hands to her forehead, she tried to find the speck of land that were known as the Sunshine Islands.

But like the many hours before, she saw nothing and her impatient to touch land in her new home grew. It was hard to be patient, especially when she had been dreaming of this moment for a good three years now. Once she'd reached the ripe age of twenty-one, she made her decision to leave the shadow of the noisy city behind for the country life.

The country life of a farmer.

She didn't have much with her, just a bag of clothes and toiletries and a pocket full of dreams. Chelsea had scavenged just enough money to buy a one-way ticket to the islands and enough to purchase the offered farm. The woman knew she would be broke for sometime after until she got her work up and running.

Sighing, Chelsea turned away from the vast expense of sea to wander the deck, bag slung over her shoulder. There weren't too many people on board but it didn't bother her. From living in the wild jungle that was the city, small numbers were a nice change. It wasn't crowded and she didn't feel as if she were drowning every two-seconds from some noisy crowd.

Finding a bench to take a seat in, the woman lolled her head back and rested her bag against her jean-cladded lap. She wondered when they would be due to land.

_It better be soon, _Chelsea thought as she watched the sky. Not a cloud in sight, just open pastures of blue skies and the occasional bird here and there.

A sudden gust of wind and a man's shout startled her, causing Chelsea to perk her head.

"Ah! Damn it all!"

She tried to pin-point the source of the yell and found it near the deck where she had been moments before. Chelsea couldn't help but cock a brow at his odd appearance.

He sure did fit the description of the old Western cowboys with his strange get up. Chelsea watched as the man leaned over the railing, fingers grasping thin air as his hat plummeted into the waters below the rocking ship. The stranger let out a loose of cuss words and the woman got to her feet, approaching a tad to watch.

One of the sailors of the ship tried to hold him back as he seemed to try and dive off the boat after his Stetson.

"Lemme go!" He barked, glaring at the man who was currently trying to hold him back.

"I'm sorry sir but its not permitted you hang off the ship," the sailor explained, brows furrowed into a 'v' shape as he restrained the upset cowboy.

The cowboy snorted and tugged his arm free. "Fine," he finally said, seeming to relax despite his eyes anxiously looking back at the hat as it slowly and surely drifted out at sea. "I won't."

How did the sailor not see that the silver-haired man was lying was beyond Chelsea.

Once the ship hand turned away, the cowboy dived off the deck and into the ocean with a _splash. _Chelsea and a few others hurried to the deck to watch, wide-eyed. A few laughed at the sight as the drenched man resurfaced, his hat grasped in his gloved hand.

It was quite a sight, Chelsea bemused. The sailor returned, red-faced as he stared at the man who paddled in the ocean. It was about ten minutes later when the crew managed to pull the cowboy back to the ship.

His hat was placed securely on his dripping head, the black Stetson hiding his eyes as he accepted the towel the captain offered.

There was a bark of laughter from the captain. "Vaughn, my dear boy, you and that hat are inseperateable."

The cowboy called Vaughn only reached for his hat and offered the other man a humorless grunt. Chelsea blinked, watching from afar at the sight of the two.

Feeling all eyes on him, Vaughn offered the crowd a little glare and tugged his drenched hat over his brow, seeming embarrassed. "What are you all lookin' at?" He huffed, "Show's over!"

And with that, everyone dispatched. Chelsea however stayed a minute longer, eyes lingering on the stranger before she shook her head and left to go to her room below the ship.


	2. TWO: Land

**Amadi: Again, allow me to explain I have NEVER played Harvest Moon: The Sunshine Islands so everything you see here is merely from research on articles and other things I have picked up from other Sunshine Island fanfics. So excuse any flaws and if so, PLEASE tell me. I want to be as acurate as possible.**

* * *

_**"The Rancher & Her Cowboy"**_

_**TWO: Land**_

**Fiction by: Amadi the Storyteller**

It wasn't long after the cowboy's dive bombing stunt did the ship finally touch the boatyard that belonged to the awaited Sunshine Islands.

Chelsea spotted a few people off on the length of the shore, the tiny group awaiting eagerly for the passengers. The woman threw her bag over her shoulder, boots stepping along the wood of the boarding ladder as she finally began stepping on the dock.

Snorting a tad, Chelsea lifted a hand to her red bandana and adjusted it as it came loose on her head. She tapped her foot impatiently, the young woman of twenty-one dragging her eyes along the deck and shore in search of the man who'd offered her the farm.

"Hey! You!" Chelsea turned and tried to locate the source of the voice. Spotting a old-looking man with a walking stick, Chelsea gestured to herself questionably. "Yea, you!"

The blue-eyed girl approached, offering the man a sloppy half-smile. "You Mr. Taro?"

"Yes, little missus," he confirmed, nodding to affirm her question. He gave his stick a stomp against the wood of the dock. "I assume you're the girl you wanted the abandoned farm on Ranch Island, ey? Chelsea Montgomery, is it?"

She nodded. "The one and only," she replied, grinning as she dropped her bag at her feet. "It's a pleasure to finally be here, sir."

"Girly, no need to sir me. Don't make me feel old," Taro grunted, waving a hand. "Just Taro is fine." He paused before adding, "And it better be a pleasure to be here! Cuz don't think I'm letting you go back too easily if this farming shindig isn't your cup of tea, little lady!"

Chelsea only wagged her head with a chuckle. "No worries Mr. Taro. I've been wanting to run a farm of my own for a good few years now."

"You a know anything 'bout farming?" Taro inquired. Chelsea shook her head in a 'no.' "Meh. No worries there missy. I used to run a farm myself back in the day, I don't want t brag but I was a top rancher." He grinned happily at the memory and snorted. "All my cows and crops were of the best quality…"

He seemed to begin rambling before Chelsea rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Erm, Mr. Taro? Don't you think you should show me the farm? I'd like to get started as soon as possible."

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Of course," the old man said, stopping his bout of nostalgia. "After I show ya the farm, I'll take you to the Animal Shop. You'll be needing animals…"

The two left the ship yard to head for the separate island of Ranch Island. Chelsea eyed the town curiously as the two walked, bag slung over her shoulder and boots now caked in mud and grass. Taro for such an old man traveled rather quickly, his steps proud despite his ancient age. When they had finally arrived, Chelsea had to blink back her surprise at the state of the farm. It was rather… How could she put it? Run down and dirty.

The house was in alright shape, well-enough for someone to inhabit it without worry about too many problems. Small as it was, Chelsea guessed she could make do. She was always good at adapting to the elements around her. The rest of the yard was completely different story, the barn was nearly unrecognizable with its broken roof and windows. The large doors remained ajar, hanging by a thread to its rusted hinges. The other two buildings, the stables and the chicken coop she assumed, were far from usable. The fields where she would be growing crops were weed infested and dotted with the occasional stone.

_No wonder why this place was so cheap, Chelsea thought with a frown._

"_Its not much," Taro explained, gesturing to the run-down farm. "Ya see missy, the islands are just starting to get back on their feet. So we haven't had the time to fix it up too much."_

_Chelsea waved him off. "Its no problem. I can fix this place up just fine on my own."_

"_That's exactly what I wanna hear," Taro affirmed, lips quirking into a small grin as he stomped his wooden stick. "Sunshine Islands need a hard worker for this ranch. So I better not see any slacking off! I wanna see one-hundred and ten percent bein' done on this farm! Heck, if ya can do better than that, then do so!"_

_Taro took the time to help the young woman understand how to work the tools she would need on the farm, the old man explaining how to treat plants and the bare basics of livestock. Eventually, Taro brushed himself off as he lifted himself from the ground after explaining to Chelsea how to toil the soil of the field._

"_Best I show ya where the Animal Shop is, come along."_


End file.
